The 18-year-old gymnast wasn’t scheduled to vault at the Olympics, but with teammates nursing bumps and bruises she was called upon to step in just minutes before the event Sunday in London.

“I was ready to do it,” the former Blenheim-Kent Golden Eagle said. “I’m always ready to do it.”

Pegg delivered a solid 14.133 score, helping the Canadian women’s artistic gymnastics team to an eighth-place finish in qualifying and its first appearance in the team final in a non-boycotted Olympics.

Pegg’s last-minute addition to the vault also gave her the chance to qualify for the individual all-around competition.

With strong, steady performances in all four disciplines (vault, balance beam, floor and uneven bars), Pegg capitalized on the opportunity. She finished 18th and is one of 24 women advancing to Thursday’s all-around final.

She’s the only member of the Canadian team to make the all-around final.

Pegg scored in the 13- or 14-point range on each apparatus, including a team-high 14.233 score in the floor exercise.

“It was just icing on the cake,” Pegg said from her balcony overlooking the Olympic Village. “Everything here has been unreal.”

A humble, team-oriented competitor, Pegg was quick to point out that helping the Canadian team — her teammates are Kristina Vaculik, Elsabeth Black, Victoria Moors and Brittany Rogers — make history was her biggest reward.

Pegg, a Rondeau native, now lives in Sarnia and trains with the Bluewater Gymnastics Club.

Gymnastics Canada made placing in the top eight and advancing to the final its goal for the women’s team in London. Canada had only accomplished the feat in Los Angeles in 1984 when 14 countries boycotted the games.

“The team members, we’re just really honoured to set a new standard for Canadian gymnastics,” Pegg said.

But Sunday’s qualifiers weren’t without their anxious moments.

The Canadian team had an agonizing wait watching perennial rivals Germany compete, waiting to see if they’d be bumped from the top eight.

A small but vocal contingent of red-and-white-clad faithful erupted in one corner of the 20,000-seat North Greenwich Arena when the scoreboard changed, showing Canada still in eighth place.